Indiana Recruitment

[DubaiSis]

Because of the tradition of limiting membership per chapter and interest in Greek life at this school, I don't see any reason why all 26 couldn't be represented. The one place I could potentially see an overlap is SDT and AEPhi and they are already there and presumably doing just fine so that's a moot point. I do think that they'd have to restructure the rush PROCESS however. They'd probably need to add at least one day to recruitment, and probably 2. But if they keep expanding one at a time and chapters aren't folding in the process, then clearly it CAN happen.

[33girl]

Yes, it is feasible, IF

Originally Posted by IUHoosiergirl88

IU can support multiple chapters with that 'niche' appeal

IF enough women decide that they could care less about living in houses, then IU could easily support all 26 plus probably a few others. But if the "IU sorority life = living in a house with all your sisters" tradition refuses to die, then they won't even be able to support the one they have.

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

Because of the tradition of limiting membership per chapter and interest in Greek life at this school, I don't see any reason why all 26 couldn't be represented.

This is a moot point now as the new unhoused chapters could conceivably take much larger amounts of members than the housed chapters currently do. I think that's the reasoning behind it in the first place.

It's what the students want. Pittsburg State in Kansas (one of our oldest chapters is there) has had only 3 sororities for a very long time. Attempts to add another were unsuccessful. I personally look at that and can't imagine a school of its size having that little selection, but it is what the students want. That is the final, determining factor. Panhel and the school administration and the nationals can do whatever, sink whatever money in, but if it isn't ultimately what the students want, it will fail. If the students want it and see value in it, it will succeed.

[IndianaSigKap]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Yes, it is feasible, IF

IF enough women decide that they could care less about living in houses, then IU could easily support all 26 plus probably a few others. But if the "IU sorority life = living in a house with all your sisters" tradition refuses to die, then they won't even be able to support the one they have.

This is a moot point now as the new unhoused chapters could conceivably take much larger amounts of members than the housed chapters currently do. I think that's the reasoning behind it in the first place.

Couldn't agree with you more about the tradition of living in the chapter house, but I don't see it dying out soon. I only lived in the chapter house for a short time and there things I really enjoyed about it, but overall I didn't care for the experience. I was happy to live out and pay for a meal plan plus live out fees. However, I was in the minority. I do know there are women who would love to be Greek but can't afford the house bills plus other fees, so maybe the unhoused idea may take off. We'll see.

Based on what I have heard from friends who advise chapters at IU, alumnae still living in the area, and alumnae who work for the university, the original rationale behind the unhoused chapters was twofold: 1.) Keep these newer chapters smaller so that they would be able to pair/socialize more easily with the growing number of smaller unhoused fraternities and 2.) Offer more opportunities for women to go Greek. Not sure how those are really working out since the newest chapter did not stay around 75 which is the size of several of the unhoused fraternities and a lot of women still did not match after formal recruitment.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

Based on what I have heard from friends who advise chapters at IU, alumnae still living in the area, and alumnae who work for the university, the original rationale behind the unhoused chapters was twofold: 1.) Keep these newer chapters smaller so that they would be able to pair/socialize more easily with the growing number of smaller unhoused fraternities and 2.) Offer more opportunities for women to go Greek. Not sure how those are really working out since the newest chapter did not stay around 75 which is the size of several of the unhoused fraternities and a lot of women still did not match after formal recruitment.

I was thinking more that the university was hoping these chapters would be the sorority equivalent of a megachurch and take all the unbid women under their wings so people would STFU about the system being too selective (without the uni actually doing anything to change it). In other words, an attempt to placate everyone.

Don't smaller fraternities ever get together for a mixer? In other words (random names) KKG, SAE and TKE could all mix together? Or is the competition between fraternities too strong to allow that?

[IUHoosiergirl88]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I was thinking more that the university was hoping these chapters would be the sorority equivalent of a megachurch and take all the unbid women under their wings so people would STFU about the system being too selective (without the uni actually doing anything to change it). In other words, an attempt to placate everyone.

Don't smaller fraternities ever get together for a mixer? In other words (random names) KKG, SAE and TKE could all mix together? Or is the competition between fraternities too strong to allow that?

Fraternities rarely (if ever) combine for mixers with sororities. The most I've ever heard of is 2 fraternities combining to host a concert [example: ZBT and SAM hosting Snoop Dogg].

My boyfriend is in one of those unhoused fraternities, they're on the larger end, but they struggle to pair with sororities. This year is better than years past, but they don't pair outside of 'bottom tier' chapters. Housed chapters tend to pair Thursday/Friday/Saturday, or at least a day or two each week. His chapter is lucky to get paired with once every 2 weeks. They try, but when the frat has 80 guys and the sorority has 120-150 girls, it makes it tough.

On the 'megachurch' aspect, that may have been what IU or Panhel was thinking, but that isn't what active members perceived it to be. I'll be honest, I thought that they would struggle badly because of the 'live in' culture of IU

[glittergal1985]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I was thinking more that the university was hoping these chapters would be the sorority equivalent of a megachurch and take all the unbid women under their wings so people would STFU about the system being too selective

I doubt they think that about Theta Phi Alpha after the past Fall's colony recruitment

[33girl]

Originally Posted by glittergal1985

I doubt they think that about Theta Phi Alpha after the past Fall's colony recruitment

That wasn't a dig on TPA. That was a dig on the university, if they were silly enough to think that Greek membership ever works that way. From what I've read about them in this and other threads, yes, they are silly enough.

[glittergal1985]

Originally Posted by 33girl

That wasn't a dig on TPA. That was a dig on the university, if they were silly enough to think that Greek membership ever works that way.

Oh I didn't mean it was . I just meant in general that lack of housing is not going to prevent Theta Phi Alpha (or any future groups) from being very selective on this campus. The ever-growing number of PNMs combined with the stagnant number of spots available allows for mutual selection between sororities and PNMS to lean heavily in favor of the sororities.